Feb 5th - Sightseeing in Beaumont

We decided to drive around Beaumont a little today, just exploring (My cousin Lanny used to call it doing research. We technically didn't qualify as doing research because we didn't have a 6 pack with us.)

First we stopped at Elana's for lunch. I had a beef enchilada and Kathy had a shrimp enchilada. They were both really good. We were a little disappointed that they used American cheese melted on them, but they were still good.

As we were just driving around looking we saw this house.

It was on a block all by itself. As we drove around the block we noticed a sign that said tours started at the visitors center on the block in front of the house. We took a 1 hour guided tour. The tour cost us a whopping $3 each. The house is awesome! The tour went through all three floors. If you are interested you can learn more about the house at
http://mcfaddin-ward.org/about/history/

While we were waiting for the tour we were told that we could go back and take a self-guided tour of the carriage house. It was located on the block behind the house.

Yes, it really is a carriage house. One each side of the house are rooms where servants lived. There is a large door in the front. It is large enough to drive in the cars that were parked in the center of the house. A cherry old Rambler Ambassador, a big old 70's vintage Cadillac, and a carriage. The back of the house is contains horse stalls, I think there were at least 8 box stalls. The 2nd floor above the front part of the house was used as a gymnasium. The upper floor above the back of the house, above the box stalls, was framed just like a barn. Hay and grain were stored there, with chutes to dropt the hay down mangers in each of the box stalls.